Chris Smith, who qualified for England by virtue of his English parents, was born in Durban on this day. Keen to pursue a career in cricket and frustrated by the apartheid-era ban on international sport with South Africa, he left to
try his luck in England having previously toured the country with Kingsmead
Mynahs (essentially Natal U-25s) in 1976. Though not as naturally talented as his younger brother Robin, he made himself into a very fine county batsman for Hampshire with a first-class average in the mid- forties. Smith's success was a triumph of nurture over nature, but he only played eight Tests. He went first ball to Richard Hadlee on debut at Lord's in 1983 but had a decent winter in 1983-84, hitting 91 at Auckland and 66 at Faisalabad. For some reason he wasn't picked against West Indies in 1984 and played only one more Test. He went on to become chief executive of the WACA in Perth.
Rob Smyth